UPCEA recently collaborated with ed2go on research related to professional, continuing, and online (PCO) education units’ relationships with third-party providers. This study, Perceptions of Third-Party Providers as a Result of the Pandemic, found that PCO units often sought assistance from third-party providers to help expand bandwidth to support existing students, diversify their portfolios, and continually…
Read MoreThe National Student Clearinghouse continues to report sobering statistics on higher education enrollments[i]. Their Spring 2022 report shows that undergraduate enrollment fell by 662,698, as compared to the prior year. In addition, spring graduate enrollments were relatively flat, but still falling by 22,337. With the predicted demographic cliff looming nearby, a decade of tuition increases…
Read MoreWhen generative AI came rolling out of development lab obscurity last year, most of us were surprised – even shocked. AI has always been a path to streamline production and distribution. In the past, it had come to replace blue collar jobs. When I first tried it out in August, I wrote in this column, “Higher…
Read MoreWe have a new partner in higher education to assist with fulfilling our primary mission. What is our primary mission? I turned to our new partner to briefly articulate that, “The primary mission of higher education is to provide advanced learning opportunities beyond the high school level, with the aim of developing a highly skilled…
Read MoreCreating Non-Credit to Credit Pathways
Alternative credential experts identify the conditions necessary to design and deliver non-credit to credit pathways at postsecondary institutions. Over the course of 2022, the Typology, Terminology, and Standards Subcommittee[1] of the Council for Credential Innovation discussed the conditions necessary to create non-credit to credit pathways at postsecondary institutions. Their deliberations eventually narrowed to non-credit learning…
As Colleges Focus on Quality in Online Learning, Advocates Ask: What About In-Person Courses? (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
As colleges’ online catalogs grow, so too has the push to develop standards of quality for those courses. But are in-person classes getting the same attention? If you ask many online-education advocates, the answer is “no.” While decades of research and the pandemic-spurred expansion of online learning have helped demystify it and build confidence in…
Employers Are All In on Microcredentials, Survey Shows (Inside Higher Ed)
Ninety-five percent of employers see benefits in their employees accruing microcredentials, according to a new survey from Collegis Education and UPCEA, the association for college and university leaders in online and professional continuing education. Among the leaders surveyed from 500 organizations, 76 percent said pursuing microcredentials demonstrates an employee’s willingness to develop their skills, 63 percent said it…
Employer Demand for Microcredentials On the Rise, New Study From UPCEA and Collegis Education Reveals
Nearly 100 percent of organizational leaders see benefits from employees having microcredentials WASHINGTON (February 22, 2023) — Employer demand for microcredentials is on the rise, according to a new study released today by UPCEA, the association for college and university leaders in online and professional continuing education, and Collegis Education. The report, “The Effect of…
I’m pleased to share with you a special offer for UPCEA members: a complimentary opportunity for you and your colleagues to join us for an UPCEA professional development course. Our professional development courses and certificates have been enthusiastically endorsed and highly rated by participants. Students have appreciated the opportunity to learn from leaders in the…
Read MoreUPCEA is currently seeking a part-time Data Analyst for a fully remote position with our Center for Research and Strategy team. The Data Analyst is responsible for collecting, analyzing, and transforming data into actionable insights on various projects for UPCEA. Role responsibilities include identifying, gathering, and analyzing data to produce understandable and insightful figures and…
Read MoreIf your school is investing heavily in creating brand awareness and generating leads at the top of the funnel (TOFU) but getting lackluster results, enrollment management issues lower in the funnel may be to blame. To achieve enrollment goals, you need a strong enrollment management foundation—a system for guiding prospective students beyond the initial awareness…
Read MoreStudent veterans make up approximately six percent of undergraduate college students and seven percent of graduate students (US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics). While generally referred to as student veterans, this overarching title includes active-duty service members and those in the National Guard or Reserves. Precise information on the military-connected student population,…
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